Communications, information services, entertainment, and other applications and functions that were once provided by separate electronic devices are now commonly provided by “smart” phones and other advanced portable electronic devices such as electronic tablets, portable gaming systems and electronic book readers having bright, colorful, high-resolution displays. As a result, people are spending more and more time interacting with portable electronic devices for viewing maps, watching movies, conducting Internet searches, receiving news, sending and receiving email and text messages, playing games, and other visually intensive and time consuming activities. The small size of such devices makes them easy to carry and easy to use in confined conditions. However, because of the small size of the displays used in many portable electronic devices, the best viewing may occur over a relatively narrow range of viewing angles. Furthermore, the relatively small sizes of visual elements such as text and graphics that may be presented on small displays are best viewed when a portable electronic device is held steady, without shaking or other relative motions between the display and observer.
A person may find it tiresome to hold a portable electronic device steady at a preferred viewing angle and viewing distance for an extended period of time. Furthermore, it can be difficult to perform other tasks while one's hands are occupied with holding a portable electronic device. Many different kinds of mounting devices such as stands, holders, clamps, and rests have been proposed for freeing one's hands and steadying a small display for easier viewing. Some mounting devices are adequate for resting a portable electronic device on a stationary table, desk, or other flat surface, but may not provide sufficient stability or an acceptable range of viewing angles when a steady support surface at a preferred viewing distance or height is unavailable, for example in a moving vehicle. Other mounting devices depend on suction cups or magnets for attaching the mounting device to a support structure, but suction cups are ineffective on porous or textured surfaces and magnetic attachments are ineffective on nonferrous support structures. Yet other mounting devices use hooks or clips to attach to a support structure such as a seat back, a table edge, and other locations with an edge or projection suitable for attaching a hook or clip. However, a hook or clip having a size and shape suited for attachment to one type of support structure may be unable to attach to other types of support structures.
Some mounting devices don't provide firm enough support for an electronic device and may release the electronic device, or the mounting device itself may separate from a support structure, when subjected to vibration, acceleration, normal operation of a keypad or touch screen, or accidentally bumping the mounting device or portable electronic device, as may occur in a moving vehicle. Other mounting devices may have the opposite problem, that is, they do not release from the support structure when a large load is applied to an electronic device or to the mounting device itself, thereby risking damage to the support structure, the mounting device, or the electronic device. Some mounting devices are bulky and difficult to carry when not in use. Other mounting devices project a substantial distance from the surface of the structure to which they are attached and may interfere with the movements of other people in the vicinity, for example by impeding aisle access for a person seated near a mounting device attached to a seatback on a train, bus, or airplane.